CVS to Limit Opioid Prescription Amounts

Opioid painkiller prescriptions will be limited to a seven-day supply for certain conditions, CVS Pharmacy announced Thursday.

It's the first national retail chain in the United States to restrict how many of the pain pills doctors can provide to patients, NBC News reported.

CVS also said that when filling prescriptions for OxyContin, Vicodin and other opioid painkillers, pharmacists must talk with patients about the risks of addiction, secure storage of medications in the home, and proper disposal of the drugs.

The measures take effect Feb. 1, 2018.

A recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report said that the average supply of opioids prescribed to patients by doctors in the United States rose from 13 days in 2006 to 18 days in 2015, according to NBC News.